Winter Is For Oatmeal

And I mean the real McCoy, as in John McCann's Irish steel cut oatmeal from where else, Trader Joe's. Yes, it takes a long time to cook, but it's worth it. I recommend starting it when you put the coffee on, then putting it on a simmer while you shower. By the time you're dressed, a beautiful pot of hot oatmeal will be waiting for you. I'm wondering if I can make this in my rice cooker? I'll have to try it and be prepared for cleaning up a potentially very big mess. I like dressing it up with all kinds of fruit, cinnamon, black strap molasses, and nuts. A morning snack becomes unnecessary. The kids love it!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup John McCann's Irish steel cut oatmeal from Trader Joe's
• 4 cups water
• pinch salt
• fresh or dried fruit
• black strap molasses, brown sugar, honey or maple syrup (Trader Joe's grade B is fantastic)
• nuts
• cinnamon

Preparation:

1. Bring 4 cups water to a boil, add a pinch of salt and then sprinkle oats over water and stir. Follow package directions and boil until the "porridge is smooth and beginning to thicken".
   
2. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3. Serve hot with fresh or dried fruit, sweetener, nuts and cinnamon.
   

PBBG - Peanut Butter & Banana Grahams

My four-year-old clamors for this snack almost daily. It's tasty, crunchy, sticky (read satisfying) and healthy too. To make it portable, top with another graham cracker, using a little more peanut butter as glue. Apples or pears can be used instead of the bananas.

Shopping List:

• 1 container Trader Joe’s cinnamon grahams
• 1 jar Trader Joe’s organic peanut butter
• 1 bunch Trader Joe’s ripe bananas

Preparation per serving:

1. Wash, peel and slice banana in half lengthwise.
2. Spread a teaspoon of peanut butter onto one graham cracker.
3. Top with a slice of banana cut to fit the cracker.

Jessica Seinfeld & Missy Lapine Are Taken Down a Notch

Raymond Sokolov of the Wall Street Journal's Eating Out column stabbed a few forks into the recipes Jessica and Missy published in their respective cookbooks and what he found wasn't pretty. Playing With Their Food questions the entire premise of hiding pureed vegetables in kids' food. He points out that many of the recipes are for breakfast and dessert and have sugar in them. Is it a good idea to serve a kid scrambled eggs or mac 'n cheese with pureed cauliflower in them? Having been classically trained, I cringe at the thought. I tried Missy's mac ' cheese with pureed chic peas in it and it was a sorry sight because the sauce neither looked nor behaved as it should have. The kids ate it anyway, but I'm making them real mac 'n cheese to show them what it should look and taste like. And there will be emerald green broccoli florets adorning it.

Sokolov argues that vegetables should be seen and discussed, not hidden. I kind of agree. On the other hand, I think sneaking an extra vegetable in every now and again isn't a bad idea, as long as it's not a culinary atrocity. One of my favorite moves is to puree roasted red peppers and add them to tomato sauce. Some of the most delicious sauces in the world are made with roasted red peppers. Think rouille, the classic spicy mayonnaise served with Bouillabaise, but it's great with any fish. Yep, I'll have to make it soon.

Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler

Kudos to Mark Bittman, cookbook author and writer of The Minimalist cooking column in the New York Times, for his article "Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler" in today's paper. For anyone who hasn't read The Omnivore's Dilemma, it's a real eye-opener about the environmental impact of raising meat for consumption. He suggests that we not only eat less meat, but buy more environmentally friendly meat from organic and local farms. In my house, our red meat consumption is down to about once a week, which makes it a treat for sure. Tonight's treat was Mt. Gramble Australian free range, grass fed, no hormone, never confined Frenched rack of lamb from Trader Joe's. Everyone got 2 chops, which is plenty in my mind, but if you're having men for dinner allow three to four chops each.

Herb Crusted Australian Free Range Frenched Rack of Lamb

The key to success is to not overcook the rack; it should be cooked to rare or medium only.

Makes 4 servings of 2 chops each

Ingredients:

• 1 fresh Australian Free Range Frenched Rack of Lamb from Trader Joe’s
• 1 slice Trader Joe’s whole wheat bread
• 1 teaspoon chopped Trader Joe’s fresh rosemary
• 1 ½ teaspoons chopped Trader Joe’s fresh thyme
• 2 cloves Trader Joe’s garlic, chopped fine
• Salt and pepper
• 1 jar Trader Joe’s apple cranberry chutney

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Remove any excess fat from the rack using a sharp thin knife. The crust will keep it moist.
3. Coat the meat lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat and turn on the exhaust fan.
5. In a food processor, process the slice of bread until it’s crumbled. Add the rosemary, thyme, and garlic and process for 30 seconds. Add 1-2 teaspoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Process 15 seconds to incorporate.
6. When skillet is smoking, sear rack on top and rounded side until browned, about 4-6 minutes.
7. Remove rack from skillet and place on cutting board. Remove skillet from heat. Using a spoon or pastry brush, smooth mustard all over meat portion of rack. Pat on herb and bread crumb mixture.
8. Using tongs, return rack to skillet and place in oven for 15 minutes. Check temperature with an instant read thermometer and remove from oven when it registers 130-140 for rare to medium rare. When done, set on cutting board and cover with aluminum foil and let rest 10 minutes while you prepare a vegetable.
9. Slice in between bones being careful not to loosen the crust. Serve 2 chops per person with a heaping teaspoon of cranberry chutney.

Elegant Poached Pears

Poaching pears in simple syrup with whole spices is an easy yet elegant way to enjoy this abundant fall fruit. Serving the pears with sweetened mascarpone cheese turns them into a decadent dessert! Poached pears are a fantastic make-ahead dinner party dessert and if you use red wine (please no cooking wine!), you will create the most gorgeous and irresistible, ruby-colored pears. Please make sure the pears you select are firm and ripe but not overripe for this recipe. Pack leftovers for a special school snack.

Technique Note: Poaching is the technique of cooking foods gently in a liquid just at the simmering point, not boiling. Try to keep the pears covered in the liquid or turn them often. If cooking a large number of pears, consider reusing the poaching liquid instead of doubling or tripling the recipe.

Ingredient Note: If you want specks of vanilla to appear in your poaching syrup, score the vanilla bean once lengthwise before adding to the pot. An uncut vanilla bean can be rinsed, dried and reused. Penzey's Spices has a wide range of excellent quality spices available through their retail stores, online store and catalog.

Makes 4 servings:

Ingredients:

• 1 4-pack Trader Joe’s organic pears (or buy a bag of organic pear and double or triple recipe)
• 1 cup water
• 6 tablespoons sugar
• 1 C red or white wine
• 1 vanilla bean
  
• 1 long piece cinnamon or 2 short pieces
• 2 star anise (optional)
• 8 oz. container Trader Joe’s mascarpone cheese (optional)
• 1 teaspoon Trader Joe’s vanilla extract (optional)
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar or Trader Joe’s honey (optional)
• Finely chopped hazelnuts or chopped Trader Joe’s candied walnuts (optional)

Preparation:

1. Peel pears, leaving stems intact. You may wish to rub the pears with lemon to prevent them from browning. If using red wine, this is unnecessary.
2. Using the small end of a melon baller, remove cores by scooping from the bottom of the pear and working your way towards the top. Stop when you have removed the seed and surrounding core, leaving the top of the pear intact.
3. In a deep saucepan just wide enough to hold pears in a single layer, combine water and sugar to make a simple syrup by bringing to a boil and melting the sugar.
4. Add red or white wine – use whatever you have on hand. If you are using a dessert or other sweet wine, the resulting dish will be sweeter unless you reduce the sugar a bit. Let it boil a minute or two to burn off the alcohol.
5. Add the vanilla bean, cinnamon and star anise, reduce heat to a simmer, and add the pears.
6. Simmer pears, turning often so all sides cook and color evenly, until tender but not falling apart, anywhere from 15-30 minutes depending upon the size and ripeness of the pears. Test with a paring knife for doneness. I recommend turning with a curved plastic spatula or wooden spoon to avoid bruising or mashing the fruit.
7. When done, carefully remove pears from poaching liquid and set aside.
8. Remove cinnamon, vanilla and star anise from poaching liquid. Raise heat to a boil and reduce poaching liquid until it has a syrup-like consistency. If you overcook it and it becomes too thick, just add a little water. Just don’t let it burn!
9. If using mascarpone, either by hand or with a mixer, whisk with sugar and vanilla until light and fluffy.
10. I like to serve these warm, perched atop a dollop of sweetened mascarpone, with the poaching syrup drizzled on top and a sprinkling of nuts. You may store pears in syrup in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Bon appetit!

Bean & Cheese Nachos

This warm and meltingly delicious snack has been a family favorite for years. It's crunchy, chewy, salty and spicy, which makes if very satisfying. My kids love this snack so much that they help me make it. If your kids like salsa, guess what, it's a vegetable! The beans are a great source of protein and fiber. If they ask for more than the 5-7 chip serving size, give them a piece of fruit!

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 bag Trader Joe's baked whole grain tortilla chips
  
• 1 jar Trader Joe's fat-free spicy black bean dip
  
• 1 bag Trader Joe's shredded low fat cheddar cheese, or a blend of cheeses
• 1 jar Trader Joe's mild or medium salsa (optional)
• 1 container Trader Joe's low-fat sour cream and/or guacamole (optional)
  

Preparation:

1. Scoop a small amount of bean dip up onto each tortilla chip (5-7 per child) either by dipping the chip into the jar or using a spoon so the chip won't break.
2. Place all chips with bean dip in a single layer on a microwave safe plate.
   
3. Spoon some salsa on top of each tortilla (if using), then sprinkle lightly with cheese.
4. Microwave 10-15 seconds or until just melted.
   
5. Optional: serve with low-fat sour cream and guacamole.
   

Buen provecho!

Quick, Delicious and Kid Friendly Bean Burritos

It's cold and everyone wants something hot and satisfying for dinner, but you're also busy ferrying kids to activities, talking on the phone with sick friends, and wondering in the back of your mind how you'll possibly make it to the dryer before the clothes get wrinkled. So, here's a quick and easy dinner that the kids can help make. They can learn a little Spanish while they're at it; burrito means "little donkey", but this recipe is strictly vegetarian! Authentic Mexican burritos are flour tortillas that are grilled or steamed and then filled with refried beans, rice, or meat.

Bean Burritos

Ingredients:

• 1 bag Trader Joe's whole wheat tortillas
• 1 can Trader Joe's refried black or pinto beans
• 1 bag Trader Joe's frozen tri color pepper strips (substitute shredded Romaine)
• 1 jar Trader Joe's mild to medium salsa, depending upon your taste
• 1 container Trader Joe's 0% Greek yogurt – this tastes and looks like sour cream!
• 1 bag shredded Trader Joe's Mexican blend cheese
• 1 package Trader Joe's prepared guacamole
  

1. Gently heat refried beans in saucepan over medium heat until hot.
2. Stir fry pepper strips until cooked through and no juice is left (otherwise burritos will be runny).
3. Place salsa, yogurt and cheese in individual bowls on table.
4. Microwave 1 tortilla per person for 30 seconds, uncovered.
5. Place one tortilla on each plate, spoon some beans onto first 1/3 of tortilla and top with peppers, salsa, cheese, and yogurt to taste. Roll tortilla and bring in sides to form a burrito. Eat with your hands. Serve guacamole on the side. Enjoy.

Pizza Stone Ratings Vary With Price

Would you believe the Wall Street Journal, of all the unlikely places, just reviewed and rated pizza stones? Well, it's just in time for super Bowl Sunday of course. I pointed out in an earlier blog about making pizza using Trader Joe's ingredients that pizza stones are critical to achieving a crisp crust. The article has a really cool online feature that allows you to see a photo show of all the stones and stone sets reviewed. The bottom line is that they rated the All-Clad Pizza Stone & Cutter best overall. Unfortunately it costs $99.95 and is temporarily sold out at Amazon.com, but the two consumer reviews the set received were great and the cutter is supposed to be one of the best. Better news is that Linens ' Things Kitchen 101 Pizza Set rated best value and only costs $19.99 on sale and is well under $20 if you use one of their 20% off coupons. You may want to spring for another cutter since this one isn't supposed to be so sharp. I have a Dexter Russell P177A stainless pizza cutter I got at a restaurant supply store over a decade ago that's still going strong. You can get one for $14.95 at akitchen.com. My pizza stone, which is well seasoned from many years of use, is made by Huey-Chang and a recent search showed that they are the manufacturer for Pampered Chef bakeware.

Principal Takes a Stand on Junk in the Cafeteria

Marc D'Amico, Principal of Glenville elementary school in Greenwich, Connecticut, was in the news yesterday for taking a stand on child nutrition and upping the ante on setting standards for healthy school lunches. He actually banned the sale of ice cream and cookies in the school cafeteria. Way to go Marc! You are a child nutrition hero.

He and the PTA co-President saw too many kids eating cookies and ice cream instead of the healthy lunches their parents packed for them and decided enough is enough. "They go right for the desserts. It's been my ongoing observation that the lunches that parents pack don't always get eaten by the children," D'Amico said. "(Parents) hold a lot of trust that we make sure kids eat the lunch first, and then go for the cookies."

"I feel it's my responsibility," D'Amico said of upholding healthy eating at the school. D'Amico said he already has received several e-mails from supportive parents glad to hear about the change, which he expects to be permanent.

I had to send him a congratulatory email and just let him know what a great example he has set for other school officials. How many others will ante up?

Kiddie Cookbook Battle

Sorry to hear that Missy Chase Lapine has sued Jessica and Jerry Seinfeld for copyright infringement and defamation. If you saw my previous post, you'd know it was over Jessica's kiddie cookbook, Deceptively Delicious, which strongly resembles Missy's kiddie cookbook, The Sneaky Chef. Missy's was released first, hence the cookbook battle. Well, at least they're getting a lot of publicity!

Let's Play Hide the Vegetable

So my dear friend Susanne who is a working mother of triple five-year-old boys confessed that she had signed up to buy fake food (aka Juice Plus) after a rep gave a dog and pony show at the kids' preschool. Naturally I did a controlled freak out and suggested she try playing hide the vegetable instead. She didn't know where to start so I recommended using one of the two cookbooks out on this topic - Jessica Seinfeld's Deceptively Delicious and The Sneaky Chef by Missy Chase Lapine. When I hung up I felt so sorry for her that I went on Amazon and ordered The Sneaky Chef along with a fruit and vegetable alpahabet book for the boys.

Well fast forward to January 8 and as of today they have eaten the chicken nuggets dipped in YES, vegetable puree, and chocolate chip pancakes laced with blueberries and spinach! Way to go Susanne. Keep up the great work.

So that inspired me to puree the carrots I put in my French lentils today and my four-year-old ate them with gusto for lunch and asked for seconds. This is the child who won't touch a plate or bowl if he sees a vegetable on it. I think these women are on to something.

Laptop Lunchbox

Chef Ann, Renegade Lunch Lady, recommends packing nutritious and environmentally friendly lunches for our children using the Laptop Lunches system. I had heard of this and poked around to find out what it was all about. First of all, it's a lunchbox with several small inner containers which allows you to pack small amounts of a wide variety of cold foods for your child's lunch. Healthy choices is the goal. Here's an online resource to buy one http://www.laptoplunches.com/.

I recommend reading Biggie's lunchinabox.net blog, which is solely dedicated to helping you build a great lunchbox for your kid(s). She blogs about Bento boxes, which are the original laptop lunchboxes still popular in Japan today. Biggie won the 2007 Food Blog Award for best family/kids food blog so you know she's certified good stuff. Congratulations Biggie.

Here's a quick fruit dish to add to the lunchbox:

Baked (I mean microwaved) Cinnamon Apples

Ingredients:

• 1 apple per child


• cinnamon


• vanilla


• sugar in the raw


• low-fat ricotta cheese (optional)

Preparation:

1. Wash, core and slice (1/4") one apple per child and place in microwave safe bowl. Avoid peeling unless your child will only eat it peeled.


2. Let your child sprinkle the apple with cinnamon and pour a small amount of vanilla on top, say 1/4 tsp. per apple.


3. Cover and microwave on full power for 3 minutes.


4. Remove from microwave, stir and check to make sure they're fully cooked. You should be able to pierce them easily with a paring knife. If not, continue microwaving at 1 min. intervals. Replace cover and allow to sit on the counter for a few minutes while you prepare other items.


5. Remove the lid, stir and allow to cool.


6. When cooled, transfer to laptop lunch system container, spoon a heaping teaspoon of ricotta on top and sprinkle with sugar in the raw. Yum! Be sure to put a cooler pack in the lunchbox to keep it chilled for safety.